Socialist politician accused of stealing toilet paper

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A young politician from the socialist Left party has been busted stealing 200 rolls of toilet paper from a city hall in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, media reported Wednesday.

Cleaners at the Stralsund city hall had been baffled by the steady disappearance over several weeks of the paper supplies from men's toilets – until they traced it to 24-year-old Frank-Michael John, a member of the Left's executive committee in the area, daily Bild reported.

Allegedly John was systematically removing them from the paper holders in the toilet booths and squirrelling them away. State prosecutor Ralf Lechte confirmed an investigation was in progress regarding some “low-value items.”

John was caught with a toilet roll in his backpack and another in his hand following a meeting of the Left, broadcaster Ostseewelle reported.

Cleaners had been puzzled by the disappearance of toilet rolls for weeks and, suspicious, began their own investigation. The disappearances had coincided with Left party meetings.

Property manager Oliver K. told Bild he hid in a toilet stall after the Left's meeting Monday night while a colleague guarded the hallway.

About 7:30 pm, he heard “suspicious noises,” which turned out to be John allegedly removing toilet rolls from their holders in the stalls.

Oliver K. alerted his colleague and together they confronted John.

The Left party was born out of the East German ruling party, the Socialist Unity Party of Germany.

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The young Left politician had, according to Bild, previously written: “Capitalism has worn out as a social system because it destroys people and nature.”